Charles algernon parsons



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-sheet 1.

l o. A. PARSONS. A

STEAM TURBINE.

No. 553,932. Patented Feb. 4, 1896.

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STE AM TURBINE.

Patented. Feb. 4, 1896.

NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS, OF NE\VCASTLF.UPONTYNE, ENGLAND.

STEAM-TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,932, dated February 4, 1896.

Application filed February 2l, 1895. Serial No. 539,198. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, t puny concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Newcastle-upon- Tyne, in the county of Northumberland, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thrust-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to iiuid thrust-bearings for propeller and turbine shafting of turbine-propelled vessels, and it includes a thrust or dummy piston combined with the turbine or the propeller shaft with a valve for controlling steam-pressure either to the turbine or to the dummy piston on the propeller-shaft.

My invention includes special features and arrangements of parts hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a central longitudinal section through any form of my invention, showing a proportionalvalve. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the valve in section. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a special bearing for the shaft. Fig. lis a side view of amodified form of valve mechanism with means for controlling the same. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view of the same. Fig. G is a further detail thereof, and Fig: 7 is a part side and part sectional view of another modification.

The propeller-shaft C, Fig. l, has grooves in which spring-plates 23 are fitted, these being in sections. edges of the plates are iitted in the casing 23X. The spring-plates are notched at 24 togive them greater elasticity, so that when' the shaft C is moved lengthwise slightly by the backthrust from the propeller all the surfaces of the spring-plates are brought to bear on the surfaces of the grooves in order to distribute the thrust of the propeller.

The turbine B of Fig. l has a dummy piston l combined therewith intended to take up the end-thrust and to reduce the pressure to be taken up by the thrust-block. In this figure a valve is shown adapted to'apply a varying steam-pressure behind the dummy piston l to meet the varying thrust. Then the valve is placed as in Fig. l and the thrust of the screw-propeller is balanced by the difference in steam-pressure on the dummy piston 1 and the turbine disks B, then I arrange the area of the dummy `piston l to be sufficiently large to give a resultant steam- (See Fig. 3.) The outer' thrust backward greater than that of the propeller and I arrange the valve, Fig. 1, to maintain a pressure in the passage p, such as to equilibrate the whole.

I iind that the twist exerted by the turbine is nearly proportional to the steam-pressure at the main'steam-inlet minus a small fixed quantity, and I also find that the thrust of the propeller is nearly proportional to the twist exerted by the screw-shaft. This being so I arrange the valve, Fig. l, to maintain a pressure at p which shall be proportional to the steam-pressure at the inlet to the turbine minus a small constant quantity. If the turbine is so placed that the low-pressure end is nearest to the screw-propeller, I arrange the dummy piston to be too small to balance the turbine disks and the thrust of the propeller, and I arrange, as before, the valve, Fig. l, to maintain a pressure at the back of the dummy piston l proportional to the steam-pressure at the main inlet minus a small quantity.

Fig. l shows the valve y7' used for this purpose. p is the pipe connected to the dummy piston. p connects to the exhaust or condenser. 192 connects to the main-inlet steampassage to the turbine. q is a spiral spring which is adjustable by the screw s and handwheel u The ratio of the areas of the valve r to the piston q iiXes the ratio of the steampressure at the back of the dummy piston to the inlet steam-pressure. The spring q subtracts or adds the desired small quantity. Pistons g of diiferent sizes fitting in corresponding-liners may be substituted until the necessary ratio of pressure is obtained.

The operation briefly stated is that the valve fr when open admits steam-pressure from the pipe p', connected with the exhaust to the pipe p, and thus to the rear of the dummy piston, and the amount of opening of the valve r will be controlled bythe pressure of the steam entering the valve-case above the piston q through the pipe p2, leading from the inlet end ofthe turbine to the valve-case, so that the pressure of steam in pipe p will be proportional to the inlet steam-pressure. These balanced valve arrangements are equally adapted to the parallel-How type of steamturbine.

I sometimes prefer to arrange the areas of IOO the piston in the turbine so that the steamthrust shall at the normal power exactly balance the propeller-thrust, or I may arrange the balance to be exact at some predetermined power and use a simple locked valve which is I preferably adjustable to make up the small l fixed quantity above referred to. This loaded valve may be an ordinary relief-valve, the construction of which is well known.

In Figs. i, 5, and i5, respectively side elevation, half-transverse section, and half-sectional plan, there is shown a mode of arranging a sliding thrustblock, controlled by springs in such manner as to increase or diminish the effective steam thrust on the dummy piston within the turbine to resist the thrust of the screw-propeller.

The thrust-block K slides upon the bed K, which bed is attached to the hull of the vessel, and which is held in a central position while at rest by the strong spiral springs 46 and t7 pressing against the bracket-piece K2. This bracket-piece is iixed to the bed K. Then the thrust of the propeller forces the block K forward against the action of the springs 46, a lever ll is instantly operated. The lever il pivots at the point l2, and its short end is operated by the sliding` thrustblock, so that a very small movement of the said block causes a considerable movement of the link il, attached to the long end of the lever. The link ll operates a balanced steamvalve within the casing l5, and this valve allows steam to tlow from the side o1' the turbine dummy piston nearest to the propeller side of the atmosphere or to accumulate so that the steam-thrust opposing the propellerthrust is automatically increased or diminished and so the full thrust of the propeller ,p

is prevented from coming upon the thrustcollar surfaces.

A reduction of the propeller-thrust causes the thrust-block K to be moved by the springs 46 in the opposite direction. Il' the rotation of the propeller be reversed, then the springs 47 are compressed and the steam-valve within the casing -l operates to increase steam-pressure on the side of the dummy piston which is nearest to the propeller.

It will be understood that the turbine in Fig. 4, the outside of whose casing is shown at X, is of the same construction thatshown in Fig. I and has a dummy piston like that described. The parts, being shown in Fig. l, are not illustrated herein, nor has the valve been shown in detail, its casing being` shown at 45, said valve being of any desired construction and adaptedto control the steampressure at the back of the dummy piston,

while it is in turn controlled by the mechanii cal connection to thrust-block K. The difference between this form and that before described is that the valve is controlled in this through mechanical connections to the propeller-shaft, whereas in the former case the valve is controlled by the steampressure thereon in proportion to the steam-pressure in the turbine.

In Fig. 7, which is a longitudinal elevation, partly in section, the balancing or dummy piston is placed on the propeller-shaft instead of on the turbine spindle. rlhe balancing or 1 dummy piston is shown at \V as keyed to the propeller-shaft C rotating within a cylinder W, which cylinder is fixed to the hull of the vessel. The thrust-block K slides on the bed K' and is resisted by springs, as in Figs. 4, 5, i and 6, and similarly it operates a lever 4l pivoted at 42 and a link il attached to a slidevalve t8. When the forward propeller-thrust increases to a sutlieient extent to overcome l the thrust-block springs, the block K moves l in the direction of the arrow and the valve 4S is so moved as to admit steam-pressure from g the valve-chest by way of the pipe 49 to that side of the piston W which is farthest removed from the propeller. Steam-pressure thus apl plied acts on the piston \V to resist the prol peller-thrust. The reversal of the turbine or l the reduction of the thrust to such an extent l as to move the block K in the contrary direcl tion to the arrow causes the valve -lS to so l move as to remove or reduce steam-pressure l on one side o1' the piston IV and to increase it on the otherside by admitting steam by way of the pipe 50. The varying thrust of the propeller is to some extent resistedby steamlpressure applied to the rotating piston lV. l Here also the pressure on the dummy piston, l and hence the resistance to the end-thrust, is l controlled through that valve which in turn .l is controlled through mechanical connections l to the propeller-shaft instead of by the steami pressure in Fig. l.

llavin g now particularly described and asl certained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, l I declare that what I claim is- I. In combination, the propeller-shaft, the dummy piston thereon, the turbine Wheels or i disks, the steam-supply pipe leading to the l dummy piston to resist the end-thrust, and a valve controlling said steam-supply automatically, and means for controlling said valve l in proportion to the end-thrust, substantially i as described.

2. In combination, the propeller-shaft, a bearing therefor to allow end-thrust of the same, a dummy piston on the shaft, a steamg supply leading t0 the dummy piston, a valve controlling said supply, and means controll ling said valve in proportion to the end-thrust, l substantially as described.

ln combination, the shaft, the turbine thereon having the dummy piston, and the fluid -supply leading thereto, whereby said l dummy piston will balance the end-thrust,

substantially as described.

`l. In combination, the shaft, and turbine thereon arranged to take up the end-thrust, 5 the inlet for the steam to the turbine, a secl ond inlet for the balancing fluid, avalve con- IOO IIO

trolling the said inlet, a piston Controlling the In witness whereof I have hereunto set my operation of the Valve, and a connection from hand in presence of two witnesses. the piston-chamber to the first steam-inlet leading to the turbine, wherebythe balancing CHARLES ALGERNON PARSONS. 5 power of the fluid will be proportional to the Witnesses:

Huid-pressure from which the rotation is de- FREDERIC SMITH,

rved. JOHN HETHERINGTON. 

